September 20
Events * 451 - The Battle of Chalons, in North Eastern France. Flavius Aetius' victory over Attila the Hun in a day of combat, considered and believed to be the largest battle in the ancient world. *1187 - Saladin begins the Siege of Jerusalem. *1378 - Cardinal Robert of Geneva, called by some the Butcher of Cesena, is elected as Avignon Pope Clement VII, beginning the Papal schism. *1519 - Ferdinand Magellan - set sail from Sanlúcar de Barrameda with about 270 men on his expedition to circumnavigate the globe. *1596 - Diego de Montemayor founded the city of Monterrey in New Spain. *1633 - Galileo Galilei is tried before the Inquisition for teaching that the Earth orbits the Sun. *1737 - Runner Edward Marshall completes his journey in the Walking Purchase forcing the cession of 1.2 million acres (4,860 km²) of Lenape-Delaware tribal land to the Pennsylvania Colony. *1792 - French troops stop allied invasion of France, during the War of the First Coalition at Valmy. *1835 - Farroupilha's Revolution begins in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. *1848 - The American Association for the Advancement of Science was created. *1854 - Battle of Alma: British and French troops defeat Russians in the Crimea. *1857 - The Indian Mutiny ends with the recapture of Delhi by troops loyal to the East India Company. *1860 - The Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII of the United Kingdom) visits the United States. *1863 - American Civil War: The Battle of Chickamauga ends. *1870 - Bersaglieri corps enters Rome through Porta Pia and completes the unification of Italy; see capture of Rome. *1871 - Bishop John Coleridge Patteson martyred on the island of Nukapu a Polynesian outlier island now in the Temotu province of the Solomon Islands. He was the first bishop of Melanesia. *1879 - Cliftonville Football Club, the oldest club in Ireland, is founded. *1881 - Chester A. Arthur is inaugurated as the 21st President of the United States. *1891 - The first gasoline-powered car debuts in Springfield, United States. *1906 - Cunard Line's [[Wikipedia:RMS Mauretania (1906)|RMS Mauretania]] is launched at the Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson shipyard in Newcastle. *1917 - Paraguay becomes a signatory to the Buenos Aires copyright treaty. *1920 - Foundation of the Spanish Legion. *1930 - Syro-Malankara Catholic Church was formed by Archbishop Mar Ivanios *1939 - A German Messerschmitt Bf 109 is shot down by Fairey Battle gunner Sgt. F. Letchard during a patrol near Aachen. This is the RAF's first aerial victory of the Second World War. *1942 - Holocaust in Letychiv, Ukraine. In the course of two days German SS murders at least 3,000 Jews *1946 - The first Cannes Film Festival is held. *1954 - New Zealand's Special Committee on Moral Delinquency in Children and Adolescents reports just ten days after concluding hearings. *1962 - James Meredith, an African-American, is barred from entering the University of Mississippi. *1967 - The [[Wikipedia:Queen Elizabeth 2|RMS Queen Elizabeth 2]] is launched at John Brown & Company, Clydebank, Scotland. It is operated by the Cunard Line. *1970 - Syrian tanks roll into Jordan in response to continued fighting between Jordan and the fedayeen. The Jordanians knock out 30 of the Syrian tanks. *1973 - Billie Jean King beats Bobby Riggs in battle-of-sexes tennis match at the Houston Astrodome in Houston. *1977 - The Socialist Republic of Vietnam is admitted to the United Nations *1979 - Lee Iacocca is elected president of the Chrysler Corporation. * 1979 - A coup d'état in the Central African Empire overthrows Emperor Bokasa I. * 1979 - The Punjab wing of the Unity Centre of Communist Revolutionaries of India formally splits and constitutes a parallel UCCRI(ML). * 1979 - Assassination of French left-wing militant Pierre Goldman. *1984 - A suicide bomber in a car attacks the U.S. embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, killing twenty-two people. *1990 - South Ossetia declares its independence from Georgia. *2000 - The British MI6 Secret Intelligence Service building was attacked by a Russian-built Mark 22 anti-tank missile *2001 - In an address to a joint session of Congress and the American People president George W. Bush declares "war on terror". *2002 - Kolka-Karmadon rock/ice slide started. *2003 - A referendum is held in Latvia to decide the country's accession to the European Union. * 2003 - Maldives civil unrest: the death of prisoner Hassan Evan Naseem sparks a day of rioting in Malé. Births *1486 - Arthur, son of King Henry VII of England (d. 1502) *1599 - Christian the Younger, German Protestant military leader (d. 1623) *1744 - Thomas Grosvenor, American Revolutionary War hero (d. 1825) *1746 - Móric Beňovský, Slovak officer and explorer, King of Madagaskar (d. 1786) *1778 - Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen, Russian naval officer and explorer (d. 1852) *1833 - Ernesto Teodoro Moneta, Italian pacifist, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (d. 1918) *1842 - James Dewar, Scottish chemist (d. 1923) *1844 - William H. Illingworth, American photographer (d. 1893) *1853 - Rama V, King of Thailand (d. 1910) *1861 - Herbert Putnam, Librarian of Congress (d. 1955) *1872 - Maurice Gamelin, French army general (d. 1958) *1873 - Sidney Olcott, Canadian film director (d. 1949) * 1873 - Ferenc Szisz, Hungarian race car driver (d. 1944) *1878 - Upton Sinclair, American writer (d. 1968) *1880 - Louise Peete, American murderess (d. 1947) *1884 - Maxwell Perkins, American editor and publisher (d. 1947) *1885 - Jelly Roll Morton, American jazz pianist, bandleader and composer (d. 1941) *1886 - Charles Williams, British author (d. 1945) *1889 - Charles Reidpath, American athlete (d. 1975) *1899 - Leo Strauss, German-born philosopher (d. 1973) *1902 - Stevie Smith, British poet (d. 1971) *1911 - Shriram Sharma Acharya, Indian spiritual leader (d. 1991) *1914 - Kenneth More, English actor (d. 1982) *1916 - Malik Meraj Khalid, Former Caretaker Prime Minister of Pakistan (d. 2003) *1917 - Red Auerbach, American basketball coach (d. 2006) * 1917 - Fernando Rey, Spanish-born actor (d. 1994) *1920 - Jay Ward, American animated cartoonist (d. 1989) * 1920 - Alberto de Lacerda, Portuguese poet (d. 2007) *1922 - William Kapell, American pianist (d. 1953) *1923 - Geraldine Clinton Little, Irish-born poet (d. 1997) *1924 - Gogi Grant, American singer *1925 - Ananda Mahidol, King of Thailand (d. 1946) * 1925 - Bobby Nunn, American singer (The Coasters) (d. 1986) *1926 - Donald Hall, American poet and US Poet Laureate *1927 - Johnny Dankworth, English musician and composer * 1927 - Rachel Roberts, English actress (d. 1980) *1928 - Joyce Brothers, American psychologist and advice columnist * 1928 - Kirsten Rolffes, Danish actress (d. 2000) *1929 - Anne Meara, American comic and actress *1931 - Cherd Songsri, Thai filmmaker (d. 2006) *1933 - Dennis Viollet, English former footballer (d. 1999) *1934 - Sophia Loren, Italian actress *1935 - Jim Taylor, National Football League player * 1935 - Keith Roberts, British science fiction author (d. 2000) * 1935 - David Pegg, English footballer (d. 1958) *1937 - Birgitta Dahl, Swedish politician * 1937 - Monica Zetterlund, Swedish actress and singer (d. 2005) *1939 - Robert L. Gerry III, American businessman *1941 - Dale Chihuly, American glass artist *1942 - Gérald Tremblay, Québec politician *1947 - Mia Martini, Italian singer (d. 1995) * 1947 - Bruce Pasternack, American CEO *1948 - George R. R. Martin, American writer * 1948 - Chuck Panozzo and John Panozzo (d. 1996), American musicians (Styx) *1949 - John W. Henry, American MLB team owner *1949 - Mahesh Bhatt. Indian film director *1951 - Guy Lafleur, Canadian ice hockey player * 1951 - Javier Marías, Spanish author, translator and academic *1954 - Henry Samueli, American NHL team owner *1956 - Gary Cole, American actor *1957 - Alannah Currie, New Zealander musician (Thompson Twins) *1958 - Arn Anderson, American wrestler *1959 - Danny Devos, Belgian artist *1960 - Deborah Roberts, American journalist and TV reporter *1961 - Lisa Bloom, American lawyer and television personality *1964 - Maggie Cheung, Hong Kong actress *1965 - Robert Rusler, American actor *1966 - Nuno Bettencourt, Portuguese rock musician *1967 - Kristen Johnston, American actress * 1967 - Gunnar and Matthew Nelson, American musicians (Nelson) *1968 - Leah Pinsent, Canadian actress * 1968 - Darrell Russell, American race car driver (d. 2004) * 1968 - Tim Rogers, Australian singer / songwriter *1969 - Victoria Dillard, American actress * 1969 - Megumi Kudo, Japanese pro-wrestler *1970 - Moon Bloodgood, American actress and model *1971 - Henrik Larsson, Swedish footballer * 1971 - Masashi Hamauzu, Japanese composer *1974 - Michael Waddington, American defense lawyer *1975 - Asia Argento, Italian actress * 1975 - Juan Pablo Montoya, Colombian race car driver *1976 - Yui Horie, Japanese seiyuu * 1976 - Enuka Okuma, Canadian actress * 1976 - Reuben Singh, British entrepreneur *1977 - Namie Amuro, Japanese pop singer *1978 - Jason Bay, Canadian baseball player * 1978 - Patrizio Buanne, Italian singer * 1978 - Sarit Hadad, Israeli singer * 1978 - T.J. Tucker, American baseball player *1979 - Sean Davis, English footballer *1980 - Mariacarla Boscono, Italian fashion model * 1980 - Jonathan Le Billon, British actor * 1980 - Vladimir Karpets, Russian cyclist *1980 - Luke Munns, Australian singer / songwriter *1981 - Joanie Dodds, America's Next Top Model contestant * 1981 - Feliciano López, Spanish tennis player *1983 - Yuna Ito, Japanese singer and actress *1985 - David Allen, American composer and writer *1990 - John Tavares, Canadian ice hockey player * 1990 - Marilou, Quebec pop singer *1991 - Spencer Locke, American actress *1993 - Taylor Parks, American actress *1995 - Sammi Hanratty, American actress Deaths *1246 - Mikhail of Chernigov, ruler of Kiev *1384 - King Louis I of Naples (b. 1339) *1460 - Gilles Binchois, Flemish composer *1586 - Chidiock Tichborne, English conspirator and poet (executed) (b. 1558) *1590 - Lodovico Agostini, Italian composer (b. 1534) *1625 - Heinrich Meibom, German historian and critic (b. 1555) *1627 - Jan Gruter, Dutch critic (b. 1560) *1630 - Claudio Saracini, Italian composer (b. 1586) *1639 - Johannes Meursius, Dutch classical scholar (b. 1579) *1643 - Lucius Cary, English politician and writer *1721 - Thomas Doggett, Irish actor *1803 - Robert Emmet, Irish patriot (b. 1780) *1815 - Nicolas Desmarest, French geologist (b. 1725) *1852 - Philander Chase, American university founder (b. 1775) *1863 - Jacob Grimm, German folklorist (b. 1785) *1884 - Leopold Fitzinger, Austrian zoologist (b.1802) *1898 - Theodor Fontane, German writer (b. 1819) *1906 - Robert R. Hitt, American politician (b. 1834) *1908 - Pablo de Sarasate, Spanish violinist and composer (b. 1844) *1932 - Wovoka, Paiute visionary *1933 - Annie Besant, women's rights activist (b. 1847) *1939 - Paul Bruchési, French Canadian Catholic archbishop of Montreal (b. 1855) *1945 - William Buehler Seabrook, Writer, journalist, occultist and explorer (b. 1884) *1945 - Eduard Wirths, Nazi physician at Auschwitz concentration camp (b. 1909) *1946 - Raimu, French actor (b. 1883) *1947 - Fiorello LaGuardia, Mayor of New York City (b. 1882) *1957 - Jean Sibelius, Finnish composer (b. 1865) *1971 - Giorgos Seferis, Greek poet, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1900) *1973 - Jim Croce, American singer and songwriter (b. 1943) *1975 - Saint-John Perse, French diplomat and writer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1887) *1979 - Ludvík Svoboda, President of Czechoslovakia (b. 1895) *1980 - Sanpei Hayashiya, Japanese comedian (b. 1925) *1984 - Steve Goodman, American folk music singer-songwriter (b. 1948) *1989 - Richie Ginther, American racing driver (b. 1930) *1993 - Erich Hartmann, German pilot (b. 1922) *1994 - Jule Styne, American songwriter (b. 1905) * 1994 - Abioseh Nicol, Sierra Leonean diplomat and noted author (b. 1924) *1996 - Paul Erdős, Hungarian mathematician (b. 1913) *1999 - Raisa Gorbachyova, wife of Mikhail Gorbachev (b. 1932) * 1999 - Robert Lebel, Quebec ice hockey administrator (b. 1905) *2000 - Gherman Titov, cosmonaut (b. 1935) *2003 - Lord Williams of Mostyn, British politician (b. 1941) * 2003 - Gordon Mitchell, American actor (b. 1923) * 2003 - Simon Muzenda, Zimbabwe politician (b. 1922) *2004 - Brian Clough, English footballer and football manager (b. 1935) * 2004 - Townsend Hoopes, American politician (b. 1922) *2005 - Simon Wiesenthal, Austrian-Polish Nazi hunter (b. 1908) *2006 - Armin Jordan, Swiss conductor (b. 1932) * 2006 - John W. Peterson, American songwriter (b. 1921) *2007 - Johnny Gavin, Irish footballer (b. 1928) Holidays and observances *Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul only - Farroupilha's Revolution (1835) *In ancient Greece, the seventh day of the Eleusinian Mysteries, when the secret rites in the Telesterion began. *Feast day of the following saints in the Roman Catholic Church: **The Korean Martyrs, including Andrew Kim Taegon and Laurent-Marie-Joseph Imbert **Eustace **Thomas Johnson, John Davy, and companions (martyrs). *Feast day of the following saint(s) in the Anglican Church: **John Coleridge Patteson. *Also see September 20. External links * BBC: On This Day * * On This Day in Canada ---- Category:September